Celebrities who built their dream homes from scratch: Shirlie and Martin Kemp, Rochelle and Marvin Humes and more

Shirlie and Martin Kemp may not have built their home entirely from bricks and mortar, but the former popstars decided to buy a run-down Victorian property two years ago and immediately embarked on a huge, five-year renovation project.

However, hard work and dedication paid off tremendously because the husband and wife managed to complete years' worth of work in just 18 months. The pair, who are parents to Capital FM DJ Roman and singer Harley Moon, completely transformed the property by gutting every single room in the house and changing the décor and layout entirely.

Although, as mentioned, the main building wasn't built from the ground up, they did take on another project in the form of their cottage, a separate building that they have, again, renovated entirely. The cottage, which is smaller than the main home but no less impressive, boasts a gorgeous kitchen and living area and the family spends plenty of time there.

What's more, the Kemps even managed to renovate a former pigsty that was standing in their garden and have created their own outhouse that they affectionately call Piglet. You can read more about the Kemps' renovation portfolio, here.

When Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan unveiled their renovated £3.5 million mansion last summer after years of building work, fans' jaws were on the floor. The stunning property was built from the ground up after the couple bought the land in Essex back in 2019. It features stunning interiors, a huge garden complete with a full-size pool, and multiple rooms for them to enjoy.

Mark and Michelle have documented most of their renovation journey on their home Instagram account, @wrightyhome, and they continue to share glimpses inside the beautiful Georgian-style mansion.

This photo from inside their kitchen makes their home look like something straight out of the Hollywood Hills landscape. It shows off their gorgeous marble-topped circular dining table, accompanied by six cream bouclé chairs, with an eye-catching bronze and glass light fitting hanging above. The couple elevated the area with a huge bouquet of flowers, while the pool area in the background and picturesque blue sky give the home a sunny, California feel.

We were in love with Rochelle and Marvin's home in London before they decided to sell up, but we are so excited to see what the next chapter brings. The husband and wife, who are parents to three children Alaia-Mai, 10, Valentina Raine, six, and Blake Hampton, three, lived in the huge house for three years before deciding to pack up their stuff and depart in summer 2023.

At the moment, they're residing in a rental property where they plan on staying for a year or two while they undertake a huge renovation project on their new home after buying land in June last year. At the time they left, Rochelle posted a photo teasing the structure of the new home, as she wrote: "Did someone say new chapter?"

She later said: "We have found a plot that is in a spot that we have always loved… so we're going to build a house. I've never built a house before. We are now in a rental for 18 months to two years… whilst we build hopefully the forever home." We're keeping our eyes peeled for updates...

Ronan and Storm Keating's home is officially 'house goals'! The pair began documenting their home renovation journey on their Instagram account, @thekeatinghouse, back in 2021 after buying the land some years prior. It took a while for them to truly get going though due to waiting on approvals and planning permission.

As Ronan explained on social media at the time: "We love the history and character of older style homes, so originally our plan was just to refurb this current structure and bring it back to life and at the same time make it more open plan living and eco-efficient also. 

"However, sadly the structure hadn't aged well and we were told that overall it was quite poor with the plumbing and electrical all needing replacing."

This inspired the couple to start from scratch and build an eco-friendly, sustainable home with the planet in mind. 

"Our entire site with swimming pool and tennis court will also be run via solar panels and air source heat pumps, making their energy output neutral also (!) We are so proud and excited," he said. It looks like it paid off, we are obsessed with their home!

Towards the end of 2023, it was reported that former Love Island stars Alex and Olivia Bowen had sold up and moved out of their £1 million Essex mansion for a profit of more than £420,000. And the healthy gain was likely due to the incredible renovations they applied to the house, including a huge extension. 

The pair have moved out of their property and temporarily moved into a rental while even more work is being undertaken on their new home. 

According to MailOnline, Alex and Olivia were granted permission to build a single-storey extension to a separate garage, which created more spaces for new rooms entirely including a gym, office, entertainment room and more at their old house. They also swapped around the kitchen and living area to change the layout of the property. Inspired!